Halation features Mitchy Davern, a former competitive snowboarder, and Ben Poechman, an artist who sees snowboarding as an extension of his creativity. In this exploration of snow and self, the film captures their shared pursuit where snowboarding transcends sport.
From the North Face desk:
Ben is a snowboarder and artist based out of Squamish, BC – but he got started in the sport in southern Ontario, snowboarding in his family’s barnyard & cow pastures. In snowboarding, Ben is inspired by the challenges and discoveries that the natural world offers—new terrain and unexpected features, the familiar and the places he hasn’t explored. He explains that art works similarly; some landscapes serve as fuel for big missions, others as fuel for a new sculpture or painting. Ben says, “Snowboarding is my way of interacting with the natural landscape. I use my art to express my infinite appreciation.” Ben’s journey into art began in 2017 when he quit his job (at the time he was landscaping in Whistler) and turned to the classifieds for a new gig. It was there that he found an apprenticeship at a stone carving studio and began gaining confidence as an artist. Once his first sculpture sold in 2018, he was all in—and immediately tried his hand at painting with acrylics.
Balance of mind and body is what allows Ben to look at a blank canvas—in a literal sense, or, when it comes to snowboarding, a more metaphorical one—and see it as an opportunity.
Mitchy started snowboarding at the indoor facility Snowplanet at the age of seven in Auckland, New Zealand – and he hasn’t stopped since. He has been on the competitive scene since he was a kid, showing a lot of promise from a young age. He was the World Rookie Slopestyle Champion in 2019 and placed 5th in Big Air at the Youth Winter Olympics in 2020. As his competitive career started to take off, he took pause to reflect on what snowboarding was for him, and where he wanted it to take him. Now, Mitchy is focused on a more collaborative approach to snowboarding – one that enables him to work with others to create feel-good content that inspires people to try something new and reminds them not to take life too seriously. Halation is Mitchy’s latest film project, and his first as an athlete with The North Face. In it he explores beautiful North American terrain with Canadian teammate Ben Poechman. The film aims to inspire people to do the things they love. It serves as a reminder that life as an elite athlete doesn’t always revolve around podiums and medals, but it can be an art form and outlet for creative expression. On joining The North Face Athlete Team in Australia & New Zealand, Mitchy shares, “Growing up seeing snowboarding grow into something bigger than I could have imagined, it’s so exciting to be joining a company that has been a huge part of that movement. Absolutely fizzing for the future.”
Filmed across British Columbia, Colorado, and Utah.
Halation was Awarded Best Short Movie, Best Editing and Breakout Snowboarding of the Year – Mitchell Davern at iF3 2024.
Ben Poechman @soulboarder
Mitchell Davern @mitchydavern
Videographer Finlay Woods @finlaywoods
Photographer Isami Kiyooka @isami_kiyooka